1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mounting structures, and in particular to mounting structures for mounting piping members, such as piping joints, to an element having a through-hole such that the piping members can rotate about an axis of the through-hole.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known device for mounting a piping joint is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-103179. The mounting structure of this publication is shown in FIG. 9 and is configured to mount a piping joint 100 to a closure member 110 of a fuel tank such that the piping joint 100 can rotate relative to the closure member 110. The closure member 110 has a through-hole 112, into which a vertical pipe 101 of the piping joint 100 can be inserted. A clip-retaining portion 114 is formed on the closure member 110 to surround the through-hole 112. A flange 102 is formed on the upper end of the vertical pipe 101. The clip-retaining portion 114 can receive the flange 102 therein when the vertical pipe 101 is inserted into the through-hole 112.
A clip-insertion window 114s is formed in the clip-retaining portion 114 and is open in a horizontal position at a level higher than the flange 102 when the flange 102 is received within the clip-retaining portion 114. A plate-like U-shaped clip 117 can be inserted into the clip-insertion window 114s in order to hold the flange 102 from its upper side.
Thus, after the vertical pipe 101 of the piping joint 100 has been inserted into the through-hole 112, the U-shaped clip 117 can hold the flange 102 from its upper side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vertical pipe 101 from being removed from the through-hole 112 and to ensure that the piping joint 100 can rotate relative to the closure member 110.
However, with the mounting structure of the above publication, the U-shaped clip 117 is required separately for mounting the piping joint 100 to the closure member 110. In addition, the mounting operation is troublesome because of the use of the U-shaped clip 117.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for mounting structures for piping members, which require a minimum number of parts.